Reactions To Sotomayor Nomination

I applaud the nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Her confirmation would add needed diversity in two ways: the first Hispanic and the third woman to serve on the high court. While her record suggests excellent educational and professional qualifications, now it is up to the Senate to discharge its constitutional duty for a full and fair confirmation process.

While visiting with our troops in Afghanistan today, President Obama called to inform me that he will nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Sotomayor has a long and distinguished career on the federal bench. She has been nominated by both Democratic and Republican presidents, and she was twice confirmed by the Senate with strong, bipartisan support. Her record is exemplary. Judge Sotomayor’s nomination is an historic one, and when confirmed she will become the first Hispanic Justice, and just the third woman to sit on the nation’s highest court. Having a Supreme Court that better reflects the diversity of America helps ensure that we keep faith with the words engraved in Vermont marble over the entrance of the Supreme Court: “Equal justice under law.”

The Supreme Court is the final arbiter in the federal judiciary, with a fundamental role in our system of government and a fundamental impact on Americans’ everyday lives. One need look no further than the Lilly Ledbetter and Diana Levine cases to understand how just one vote can determine the Court’s decision and impact the lives and freedoms of countless Americans. I believe that Judge Sotomayor will be in the mold of Justice Souter, who understands the real-world impact of the Court’s decisions, rather than the mold of the conservative activists who second-guess Congress, and who through judicial extremism undercut laws meant to protect Americans from discrimination in their jobs, their access to health care and education, and their privacy from an overreaching government. I believe Judge Sotomayor understands that the courthouse doors must be as open to ordinary Americans as they are to government and big corporations.

As he promised, President Obama has handled this selection process with the care that the American people expect and deserve. The Senate in good faith should match the President’s confidence-building steps in the way we now proceed with this nomination. Some groups in the Republican base have said they are ‘spoiling for a fight,’ no matter who was nominated. Republican Senators up to now have generally shown more responsibility than that, and the American people will want the Senate to carry out its constitutional duty with conscientiousness and civility.

Among the most serious constitutional duties entrusted to Congress is the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices. President Obama has announced his choice, and the Senate will now prepare for fair and thorough confirmation proceedings. There are more than 300 million Americans; only 100 Senators will vote on this nomination. We have a solemn duty to the Constitution and to the American people. This will not be decided by the interest groups on the left or the right. I trust that no Senator will seek to apply a different standard to this nominee than was applied just four years ago when the Senate considered President Bush’s nominations to the Supreme Court.

I will work closely with Senator Sessions as the Judiciary Committee prepares for confirmation hearings. We are committed to ensuring that the next Justice is seated before the Court’s term begins in October. I hope all Senators will treat this nominee fairly and will respect the Committee’s confirmation process.

This morning, President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to the Supreme Court. People For the American Way President Michael B. Keegan issued the following statement.

“President Obama has made a superb choice. Judge Sotomayor has one of the sharpest intellects on the federal bench. She’s shown that she’ll bring an open mind to the Court and rule on each case according to its particular merits. Her nomination is a very positive step towards bringing diversity to our highest Court.

“President Obama used this opportunity to do exactly what he promised in last year’s election—to select a person who has demonstrated an abiding commitment to core constitutional values of justice, opportunity, and equality under the law. He has named someone who understands the impact that the law has on the everyday lives of ordinary Americans.

“This nomination is good news for people who care about the future of our rights and liberties. Now it’s up to our Senators to avoid the distraction of attacks from the far right and work for a smooth, fair confirmation process. We urge them to confirm Judge Sotomayor with all deliberate speed.”

committee to request that these clerks appear as witnesses, during the confirmation hearings, to be questioned directly by the committee. i feel certain they'd be more than happy to do so.

the judge's sustention rate is easily ascertained from the records themselves, which are public documents. the committee can have a staffer confirm that, before the hearings.

it's odd, i've not seen an actual name of someone who's worked with her, or appeared before her, associated with any of the criticisms leveled against her. for the good of the country, those people should step up to the plate, and ask to testify before the committee.

to name one name of a former clerk who held that view and the guy couldn't.

Not surprising.

Character assasination is pretty much the GOP's weapon of choice. They generally don't have much else to work with - especially these days when their ideas are largely out of synch with the majority of the American public. Their only hope is to make people think that she is stupid and incompetent.

they have to say that. GWB had a degree from Yale and an MBA from Harvard, and Clarence Thomas keeps his Yale diploma in a 10 cent picture frame with the price sticker on it because that's what he said t was worth, so I guess that proves that an Ivy League education ain't worth what it used to be.

no one says W got good grades at Yale. Summa at Princeton is pretty amazing. And, Yale Law -
ist year, grades are P/F, I believe, and after that, grades are Pass, High Pass & Honors -- or something very similar. The nominee was also an editor of Yale Law Journal (so I heard -- this is Yale's Law Review), and while I believe at Yale being on law review is available to anyone who wants it, being an editor is probably different, and, at any rate, involves lots of hard work.

to the woman part yet. I am guessing that arrow will be coming out of the quiver soon enough though.

But on the temperment front, just remember that she is not surly, misanthropic, mean-spirited or slippery like Scalia, Thomas, Aliot or Roberts. She simply does not have the kind of temperment that would ever appeal to the Republican leadership. So we ought not be overly concerned with their objections to her decidedly more positive temperment.

But what I was saying above is that I think they will eventually take aim directly at the fact that she is a woman. They're still just nibbling around the edges at this point, but they won't disappoint on a direct assault before this process is over imo.

I'd like to know the rate at which all 2nd Circuit (U.S. Court of Appeals) opinions considered by the U.S. Supreme Court have been overturned by the Supreme Court -- I'd venture to say the overturn rate is generally higher for the 2nd circuit (NY, CT & ??) than most other circuits in the country, especially in the last 8 years.

Here's hoping, though, with all the men still dominating the court, in a nation that's more than 50% women (and the only woman presently on the court looking at retirement), Obama is not hesitant to pick another female judge out of the many well qualified who are out there. Time to bring the USSC and its ponderers of Constitutional meaning into the 21st century.

Sonia Sotomayor is the quintessential American success story. What a perfect example of the wisdom of our progressive agenda. I can't wait to see how Republicans twist and turn trying to criticize her without alienating women and Hispanics more than they already have. All they got is big bad Limbaugh calling her racist. Elected Repubs are stuck in the mud. Her decisions will be questioned, but no Republican in Congress will want to filibuster her appointment. And she's obviously smart and hardworking as well. Good job Prez.

has antennae sprouting from their head, and their skin is purple with green polka dots as long as they are truly qualified and political correctness or cronyism wasn't a major consideration in the nomination.

NJDC welcomes President Barack Obama's selection of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. With the selection of Sotomayor, Obama has shown sound judgment and profound respect for our nation's highest court by selecting an individual who has strong credentials, is highly regarded, and is committed to our constitutional values, rights, and liberties.

We are also proud of Obama's commitment to have the Supreme Court reflect America's rich and diverse population, by selecting the first Hispanic justice. More importantly, the President's nominee has the intellectual capacity and real world experience to be a world class justice.

We applaud this selection and expect the nomination of Sotomayor to receive Senate confirmation in a timely manner.

...that the people with the biggest gripes (Rush, Newt, Cheney, etc.) are guys who don't matter. You knew that the racist, misogynist, bigoted Mormon senator from Utah would jump the gun, but other social conservatives don't seem to be joining the fray. They probably know that any attempt to hold up the confirmation is futile anyway.